Chapter:1 Arrival, capture and Escape
I don't remember much of my old life as a human boy, I even forgot my name but what I do remember is the day I arrived here. I was at home enjoying some morning TV before school. I was watching a show about these transforming robots I forget the name, but I recall it being one of my favorite shows back then.
It was then I noticed some smoke floating above my head, now being nine years old back then my first instinct was to call out to my parents to ask them what was going on. When I got no answer, I started making my way to their room but as I opened the door fire spilled out almost engulfing me right away, I barely got out of the way and ran to the front door only to be greeted with more flames.
Now panicking and coughing as smoke filled my lungs I started making my way to the window in the kitchen as it was the only window big enough to crawl through when I got there I was met with a sight that terrified me, outside the window was, even more, fire, there was no escape.
I stared at the fire outside for a while then started coughing as smoke filled my lungs I found myself feeling dizzy and fell to the floor coughing and crying. As the fire drew ever closer and closer and soon I could feel the burning sensation, but now I could barely feel it as the smoke drove me unconscious.
Then I woke up. There wasn't any burning anymore, in fact, I could see grass in front of my eyes greener than anything I had ever seen before. I shot up from the ground as quickly as I could and started shouting and screaming for my parents it was then I noticed my voice was different it was more gravely like I had a sore throat, I put a hand to my throat remembering the smoke I had just inhaled. Just then my skin felt odd I looked, and my palm and the first thing I noticed was that my hand was purple, scaly and my fingers looked like they could cut through anything. I looked over more of my body, and I had scales everywhere some were green on my neck stomach and torso, and top of my head and back were these larger also green scales just sticking out like small razor sharp teeth.
Then I heard something move behind me, I turned around and shouted, "Hello? Is anyone one there I'm lost, and I don't know whats going on, can you help me?"
Then the noise stopped I then started to look around me, I was in a rather small clearing with a forest surrounding me with bushes trees and plants of all kinds with a big blue sky above me. The scene was quite beautiful but before I could do anything else something shot out of the forest wrapping around me.
"Gha! What is this?! What are you doing!" I shouted, what wrapped around me was a net. As I thrashed about trying to get out of the net it only worked to entangle me more I soon lost balance and fell to the ground with a thump.
I started shouting and cursing the few curses I knew screaming for help at the same time.
After a while of thrashing in the net, something walked out of the forest dragging behind it a cart I looked at it and stooped struggling for a moment as what I saw puzzled me. What I saw was a pink humanoid horse with dark grey hair and even darker eyes, he looked very rough and scared all over his clothing tattered and a worn black shirt and brown pants.
He looked at me with no emotion before managing a small smile as he bent down to look me straight in the face and chuckled, "Looks like it's my lucky day, caught a right young lass," He said with hint of southern drawl in his voice
At this point I was mad more so then confused and tried to get out of the net again, the horse ignored it and started dragging me towards his cart. Now being closer too it I saw it had a cage in it was already a Minotaur, at the time I thought it was a cow, 'maybe He is a farmer?' I thought to myself right before being thrown into the cage right there with the minotaur.
The pink horse closed the gate trapping the Minotaur and me inside. The Minotaur looked at me sadly and said something that I couldn't understand I paused for a bit taking in the sight before me. It was a half man half cow hybrid. He had a dark complexion and brown fur his eyes were yellow, and one of his horns seemed to have been broken off at some point. Despite looking famished, he had a very well built and bulky frame and was undoubtedly strong.
After looking at him for a good few seconds, I remembered what was going on and started struggling again getting desperate to escape. As I grew more frustrated with my failure to do so, I could feel heat building up in my chest, so much that I thought I would explode then I screamed, a plume of green fire burst out of my mouth burning the net around me.
right then I saw flashes my burning home in front of my eyes, and I panicked, I closed my mouth and got away from the embers of the net to the corner of the cage my heartbeat going through the roof as I tried to calm myself down the Minotaur looking worriedly over in my direction.
I hear a chuckle behind me as the pink horse walks past me and towards the front of the cart,"afraid of your own flames Whelp?" He chuckled even more as he said that" you'll fetch a good price with fire like that." he added then proceeded to drink out of a flask that was strapped to his side.
I looked around me, and all I could see were bars I grasped two in front of me and tried to tug on them, but they didn't even budge. I kept on trying after I while I lost my grip on the bars and fell backward onto my rump and sat there staring at the bars. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as I found myself crying, I curled myself up into a ball just now noticing I had a tail, and at this point, I didn't care as I just wept.
Hours seemed to pass, and the horse was now dragging the cart on some road, I had stopped crying, but I didn't move from where I was, I just sat there staring hopelessly at the floor. Then I heard a rattling of chains. I looked up seeing the Minotaur walking over too me wearing chains that seemed connected to the cage I hadn't noticed them before, it must have been the reason he didn't run when the horse opened the gate.
The Minotaur sat next to me and said something again that I didn't understand I just looked at him confused for a bit before he pointed a finger at himself and said, "Ferdinand." I just looked at him for a bit then I took my index finger and pointed at him then poked him the chest saying "Ferdinand" he smiled then bellowed something in that strange language.
"Hey keep it down back there! were almost in town, I don't need you two chit-chatting when I get there!" He practically roared.
As he did I curled back up scared of what was to come so much had happened, I didn't know what to do. Then I felt a hand on my shoulder, and I saw Ferdinand looking at me giving a thumbs up and then smiling.
I didn't exactly know what he was trying to say, but there I got the message loud and clear, he was saying,"don't worry I've got your back."
And that's exactly what he did.
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Soon after that the Pink horse sold Ferdinand and me to some slavers in this unnamed town, and we were almost immediately set to work, I was sent to the mines to dig. I wasn't given any tools to dig, but I soon learned that my claws were more than strong enough, so I didn't need any.
On the other hand, Ferdinand was sent into a gladiator pit, but when he refused to fight he was beaten and thrown in the mines with me. I didn't know if he didn't fight because he knew he'd be put down here with me or if he just didn't want to fight. Either way, he was ordered to carry the rocks me, and fellow diggers left behind us out of the mines and make sure there was a clear path to set down tracks for the carts carrying the valuables out of the pits.
after a day of work, a day being from sunrise to sundown we were lead to our cages in which we slept and ate are two meals, a soft green substance that Ferdinand seemed to enjoy, but I could barely force myself to eat though being so very hungry I often did just that.
This was how my days went by for the longest time, but with Ferdinand always being so close to me we started to talk or as much as we could, considering the language barrier between us. We would often spend some nights trying to teach each other our languages but me being so young started to lose touch with my native tongue and more comfortable with what Ferdinand's language only really understanding it after about five years.
As for the other slaves, they were not faring well, some of them had been working for so long that they had lost their minds or were close to it, those who didn't usually were the ones who tried to escape, I never heard from any of them again. Oddly enough most of the others weren't minotaurs or dragons like me and Ferdinand they were other horses or ponies and rarely anything else.
and that is how my days were for about 27 years.
Around that time I noticed that I was aging very slowly compared to anyone else in the camp I would ask Ferdinand about it but he always just said he didn't know or that he didn't want to talk about it. I knew he was lying, but I didn't bother to pressure him anymore, so I let it go for now.
Though I was aging very slowly I had still grown quite considerably I had almost reached the height of Ferdinand who was about 6,5" I had also gained a fair bit of muscle from all of the work in the mines, but the lack of protein in my diet hampered anything noticeable.
After my capture, it didn't take long for me to figure out that my gender had been switched, but it did take considerably longer for me to get to terms with it. Though I never really took up the role nor did I get the chance too in the environment I was in, and I guess it didn't matter, until later...
A while later during our work hours, Ferdinand managed to blow his back during a, particularly heavy load. He was taken to the infirmary which was considered a privilege and a sign that you were valued at least a little bit in the encampment, as little as that was worth. He was thrown back into the cell with some bandages around his torso holding some rod to keep his back straight.
I tried to help him in any way I could during off hours, and during that time the question about my aging was brought up again, and after some arguing, I managed to convince him finally to tell me what was happening.
It was then I learned that dragons have a very long lifespan only maturing at the age of 30-35 and living on average to be 300 years old some even reaching five hundred before drawing their final breaths, to put it lightly I didn't take this new well. There I was sitting next to my only friend and father figure who was now 47 already having lived over half of his life, and he was telling me that not only was I going to outlive him but even his grandchildren would die before I reach old age.
Two more years past, Ferdinand was standing but his back never fully healed so he was "generously" given a cart to load all of the rocks on, and life continued as usual there.
until one day that year, was the day SOMETHING changed.
Me and Ferdinand were having a conversation during our working hours while he loaded rocks onto the cart, it had become a habit after he started spending more time in the mine instead of picking up stones one by one and hauling them up the tunnel. That was when we heard some shouting, we ignored it at first thinking it was either a crazy finally snapping, or someone stepped out of line.
But then it started getting louder and louder, so loud that everyone in the mine could hear it.
"We're free! we're free!..." over and over again until it became like chanting and soon like cheering.
This got our attention as Ferdinand, and I went out to check on more slaves followed suit walking up and out of the mine. Outside a few slavers arguing with two silver clad more pristine looking horses who were holding up posters saying in bold letters.
"SLAVERY NOW OUTLAWED!" It had some more stuff written on it, but those three words were all I needed to see as I looked at Ferdinand, he looked at me back I practically pounced him and hugged him tightly. He picked me up returning the hug and spinning me around him in the air, we were both laughing and soon started joining the chorus of now ex-slaves shouting, "we're free!"
One by one the ex-slaves started leaving the building while the silver-clad horses tried to bring order to it all everyone was too excited to leave, and I quickly lost track of Ferdinand as we both darted towards the exit. I ran and ran pushing and shoving trying to get to the exit as soon as possible. I see Ferdinand exiting the building. I smile as I realize that I was so close to the outdoors, I pushed and shoved some more until I finally reached it... Freedom.
I saw Ferdinand laying in the grass a bit away from the building I immediately started approaching him. As I was going to call out to him I feel a sharp jab in my neck I quickly bring a hand to my neck and feel a small dart impaling my scales. I look up to see who it was and I see the pink horse, the one who captured me all that time ago, walking away. I wanted to scream at him, to kill him but found myself feeling lightheaded and fell to the ground unconscious.
I woke up again in a cell much different from the one I was used to sleeping in, instead of being a massive cell holding many different captives and usually smelling of either feces or other bodily substances. This cell was a small dark chamber with stone walls surrounding me on every side except were a heavy metal door was placed firmly on one side the chamber with only a tiny latch to open on it. Assuming it was for the food, I looked around for any sign of the outside I just got a little glimpse of just then.
I stood up but noticed that my legs were sore, I could barely stand up I walked over to the door and started knocking on it shouting profanities and demanding they let me go I heard some moving outside as I did that.
after a few minutes, I heard the slide open and a familiar southern drawl coming from the other side saying,"did ya really think I was gonna let you go that easy?" The pink horse said confident in his actions.
"fuck you!" I retorted.
"now-now, there's no need cursing, besides one fine gentleman just had the pleasure of doing that to you over the last few days while you were unconscious yungin." as he said that I could practically feel the smirk from the other side of the door.
"Very funny you prick, let me out of here!" I shouted as I slammed my hand on the reinforced door making a loud bang.
"Oh you think I'm kiddin ya?" he says as he slides an unusually large bowl of that green stuff through the small slide. "if I'm not wrong you are around 38 years old yes? Well assuming that you more than old enough to... how to a put this? Reproduce." he says stating that last remark as aggressively as possible.
"Like I would believe that crap, just get me out of here!"I retorted, but I was audibly starting to tire as I started feeling lightheaded.
"Woah now calm down and eat, you are eating for two now, we wouldn't want to have to try again?" he asked before slamming his fist into the door, "now would we?"
I stayed silent.
He slammed the door again,"would we!?"
"no.." I practically growled
"good," he said as he closed a small latch and walked off with a chuckle he left me with his last words to me "Welcome to the breeding program ma'am," he said as he walked out.
At first, I didn't believe him as the months moved past, I was proven wrong and after a long time that rather not talk about. I gave birth to an egg it was light purple with dark purple spots all over it, too me it was a curse finally lifted, they had promised me freedom if I would carry this through, so I did.
But they, like always, went back on their word, I was going to be subjected to another full year of this I remember.....
Screaming and shouting begging for them to let me go...
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I slam the book closed, "god damn that Featherweight," I hiss putting the journal down and placing my hands on my face, "that didn't help at all." I groan as I look at the outside of my tent only to see it's midnight and that Ferdinand is hunched over on a rock on the first watch for the night.
Featherweight our 4th and the newest member had recommended me writing down what troubled me saying that "a telling of your troubles can help you see it from another perspective and maybe you can forgive yourself or those that harmed you! At least it does for me, so why don't you try it miss Bee?" I Scoff thinking back to that name.
After getting out of the hole I was thrown into I realized that I didn't have a name or at least forgot my old one, so I went with Bumble Bee since it was the only one I could remember from my past. I found it to be quite fitting and humorous since almost anyone I talked too had names relating to an object or skill or was a horrible pun of sorts.
Again I groaned as I realized I was thinking about that place again, why just why could I not just forget the damned thing! I had been traveling for eight years now, going place to place from town to town discovering long lost secrets and fighting in the grandest of battles and yet my mind is stuck on that year I spent in that godforsaken Hellhole.
I look outside Again too see Ferdinand still hunched over... snoring. I sigh as I realize I'm not going to get any sleep tonight
"Hey you can get off early tonight big guy, I'll take it from here" I say to him in his native tongue patting him on the back He jolts back upright and looks at me surprised.
"What, You? The infamous mistress of oversleeping? I think not you might fall asleep in the first ten minutes!" he says with a hearty chuckle.
I shake my head in response and chuckle a bit myself "you know with you turning what?... fifty-six? I wouldn't be surprised you weren't asleep just then" I look at him with a knowing smirk.
He goes wide-eyed at that looking away blushing, "gha! No! I would never do such a thing The Mighty Ferdinand stays vigilant at all times!" he says before striking a muscle man pose then putting his arm right above both of his eyes as shielding them from the sun and looking in all directions.
I laugh at the little performance I just got, and it didn't take Long for him to join in.
"You know, I would appreciate it if you two could just shut up with you minotaur talk and let the rest of us sleep!" I hear Darkness shouting from her tent.
Darkness is the first of the two people me and Ferdinand had found in our journeys through the lands of Eques. She is a griffon that Ironically has a rather light appearance as her fur and feathers are all white except a few spots on her chest where it forms a diamond-like shape of black spots and her pitch black beak. We picked her up off the streets after she apparently had "beat the crap" out of some guards but being quite severely bruised herself. When we offered her to travel with us, she had been quick to accept and seemed to be in a hurry to get out and to be honest we were too.
Darkness is a very tall and robust griffon she has way bigger muscles than me though not being anywhere as close to as beefy as Ferdinand especially at his prime
"Ahh... c'mon do you HAVE to shout at them now you have gone and woken me up too" our other companion Featherweight complained.
Featherweight was an odd one because he is the youngest of our group and we initially didn't voluntarily bring him along. We found him going through scrolls we had collected and were planning to sell. Darkness wanted him out immediately, but Ferdinand protested pointing out that he was a unicorn and thus could cast magic something that none of the rest of us could do, Feather was quick to take advantage of that notion and very skillfully used that to convince us to let him stay. Later on, we learned even though he was a unicorn he did not possess any knowledge of magic not to mention how to use it.
Featherweight has light brown fur and dark blue hair and tail that he constantly combs, though his stature and build are very scrawny He always keeps himself presentable. for this, he has kinda become our negotiator and people person since he is the only one besides Ferdinand that knows how to talk to people, but Ferdinand has the slight disadvantage of only being fluent in Minotaur. Featherweight also has this slight obsession with his light gray jacket as he continually wears it even in his sleep, he will consistently change clothes, but his grey jacket stays on.
"Oh shove off you posh prick! I don't need your whining right now!" Darkness yelled sticking her head out of the tent.
Feather sticks his head out to his hair all over the place,"I do not whine!" he proclaims as a lock of hair goes in his eye "ah! Shh, oh! that stings!"He winces as he covers his eye, " Somepony get me my comb!"
I roll my eyes as I pick up one of his combs and hand it to him.
"Thank you!" he squees as he starts combing his hair.
"don't mention it," I reply as I sit back down next to Ferdinand.
"doesn't whine," Darkness shakes her head as he retreats into her tent, "hey Bumble Bee, Big guy! You mind keeping it down for now?" she asks from the inside of her tent
"Consider it done" I reply as I turn to Ferdinand putting a hand on his shoulder, "what you say big guy? Up for cutting your watch short?" I ask giving him a small smile.
He looks at his tent then back at me and returns a smile, though a tired one "you've made up your mind, haven't you?" He asks his tired yellow eyes looking straight into mine.
"yes" I answered in a more stern tone to drive it home for him.
He sits there for a few more seconds before finally breaking eye contact with me as he stands up"Well then there is no use arguing about it." He states and turns to his tent, "Just don't expect me to let you put yourself after an old geezer such as myself," he says as he makes his way into his tent.
I laugh a little at that.
He quickly pops his head out of the tent and points at me "it's not joke!" He says sternly in equestrian letting his thick accent ruin any seriousness that statement was supposed to bring, making me laugh even more.
"I mean it kid," He says looking a bit down breaking is usually positive attitude. "I won't be around forever, and I don't want you forcing yourself into something you don't want to do, I'm old I'll start to slow you down, promise me you'll cut the rope before I drag you with me down the mountain?" He says looking me straight in the eyes again, dead serious.
This makes me stop laughing as I look at him"Where is this coming from?" I ask confused at his sudden seriousness.
"Just promise me Kid, please..." Ferdinand pleaded.
I just look at him for a bit then smile again,"Yeah, I promise Big guy" I say trying to sound as earnest as possible.
Ferdinand smiles back, "Thank you" He says and recedes into his tent.
I look at his tent for a bit before letting out a deep breath that didn't even know I was holding, Its true that Ferdinand is growing old, I always tried not to think about it, but it was getting to a point where I had to address it if not now, then soon.
I look for something to distract me as I didn't want to think about this anymore. I then turn to my sword sitting in front of my tent, I go over and pick it up then sit back down on the rock unsheathing it. Just having learned how to use this thing properly, I pick up a soapstone that I recently purchased at the last town we were in and started sharpening it.
Focusing on that I start to let my mind wander.
We had recently found our way into Equestria one of the larger kingdoms in this world and allegedly also had a big say in affairs of other nations, this was an impressive accomplishment, to say the least, but that also meant there is significant room for corruption and deception amongst its higher-ups which understandably worries me.
having set shore in Las Pegasus, we had been working our way towards Canterlot this would have been an easy thing to do had we taken the train but we either got our money nicked, or someone had used it all on hair products and frankly, I was leaning towards the ladder reason being the case.
So instead we had to walk our way to a town called Ponyville, but just as most things do, that wasn't going to be that simple either since we had to make our way through a forest called the Everfree. We soon learned why that would be a problem, manticores and timberwolves apparently dominated this forest, and they weren't known to be too kindly to outsiders.
We had already spent a day in this forest, but we don't expect it to take any longer than two days to get out of here.
I sigh and sheath my newly sharpened sword, having scraped of any dents or scratches it may have suffered in a fight, I then bring up the scabbard in front of my face inspecting it. The scabbard was made out of plain oak wood and didn't have any kinds of engravings. Contrasting the handle of the blade that shone with a brilliant silver and blue sheen the guard engraved with traditional runes from Ferdinand's tribe reading, "The ones who strikes shall bear the wounds of a Life taken."
I look up to the sky again trying to see how much Time has passed but the clearing isn't big enough for me to tell. I groan and continue standing watch hearing a few mosquitoes flying around me.
After a few moments of relative peace, one of the bastards decides that my nostril is a good place to rest for the night and flies into it, I jerk back to life as the damned thing wouldn't get out! My knee-jerk reaction caused me to fall backward off of the rock knocking the wind out of me.
"I so dearly hope That this forest dies" I groan before finally coughing that mosquito out.